The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado decreased its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 548,424 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,237 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $34,145,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at $3,402,151,000. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 96.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 24,949,194 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,553,337,000 after acquiring an additional 12,222,885 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 74,163,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,617,400,000 after acquiring an additional 11,569,920 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at $500,192,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,103,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,123,301,000 after acquiring an additional 6,118,819 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

KO traded up $0.58 on Tuesday, reaching $72.37. The company had a trading volume of 16,235,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,408,606. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $70.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $311.45 billion, a PE ratio of 29.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $60.62 and a 1 year high of $74.38.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $11.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.23 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. The company's quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.72 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. This is a boost from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Coca-Cola's payout ratio is presently 82.59%.

Insider Activity

In other Coca-Cola news, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total value of $1,806,547.19. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 52,466 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,749,745.02. The trade was a 32.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total transaction of $1,344,732.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071 in the last ninety days. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, March 27th. DZ Bank raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $75.06.

Coca-Cola Company Profile

The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage company, manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages worldwide. The company provides sparkling soft drinks, sparkling flavors; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages; and other beverages. It also offers beverage concentrates and syrups, as well as fountain syrups to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores.